Mexican Social Identity

Finding it hard to accept the social identities put forth by society, many Mexicans find ways to disassociate with the Mexican race and assimilate into the white society and creating a new social identity for themselves. Many Mexicans did what they could to be accepted into the white society for example through wealth or marriage. Mexicans who acquires wealth, named the Mexican elite, found it easier to incorporate into the white society by serving for the U.S government. As mentioned in Gomez’s book, “Mexican elite’ allegiance to the Americans was strengthening by their incorporation into the system as jurors… their incorporation by the Americans served to divide Mexican elites from other Mexicans.” (Gomez, 40) As Gomez explains, assimilating

Their new identity was created on the basis of whiteness. Another way Mexican disassociated themselves from their roots was through marriage. As mentioned in lecture, “many used intermarriage to keep property and fit in socially.” (Carpio, lecture 10/10). Mexican women who married a white man were referred to as the southern belle while any other Mexican women was referred to as a styled greaser which were seen as bad, promiscuous women. Many Mexican women found ways to marry a white man so she can disassociate herself with the bad connotation of the styled greaser woman. By doing so, these women created a new identity for themselves to be accepted into society. This identity was one that made her identify as an American women rather than a Mexican one. Despite all these efforts to reach acceptance into the white centered society, Mexican and Mexican Americans continued to be oppressed for decades as notable during the mid-20th century which saw the rise of the Chicano

The Chicano movement sparked in response to many factors that society used to keep the Mexican race excluded. Some of these factors included, unequal education, low income, segregated employment and lack of political representation. (Carpio, lecture 10/31). These factors were the result of the way society viewed those of Mexican origins in other words, the social identities places forward by others, and how others see them. This social identity did not change much from after the Mexican American war. It was quite the same because Mexicans were still seen as inferior and an unwanted race. This social identity caused the creation of laws and policies that sought to exclude those of Mexican origins. As a result of this, thousands of Mexicans and Mexican Americans stood against these discrimination during the Chicano Movement. Molina would describe this as counters scripts which essentially means, “Practices of resistance, claims for dignity and the downright refusal to take it anymore.” (Molina, 11). Theses counter scripts help create a new identity for people of Mexican origin, a new identity of how they see themselves. It is a “shift, movement away from Spanish background and instead a claim of indigenous